


Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall

by campsearchlight



Category: Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Rain, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-25
Updated: 2018-09-25
Packaged: 2019-07-17 08:17:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16091690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/campsearchlight/pseuds/campsearchlight
Summary: Rain rarely fell in Zion.





	Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall

**Author's Note:**

> A prompt from a tumblr who asked to remain anonymous. Thank you, and I hope this is okay!

Rain rarely fell in Zion. 

When the sky filled with gray clouds and the gentle mist began, it was a phenomenon, no matter how many times they had all seen it. The people who occupied the canyon would leave their homes, gather in the center of the small village with empty jugs and jars—and they would celebrate. Collect the rain and drink heavily from it. 

Joshua didn’t usually partake in the festivities. Even though they were covered by layers of gauze, the burns that had never quite healed were easily irritated by the raindrops, so he didn't put himself through the misery if it wasn’t necessary. Instead, he chose to watch from the mouth of his cave, his weathered Bible open in his lap. Sometimes, he didn’t even read the words; he just touched the thin pages, finding comfort in the fact that they were there. 

When rain fell into Zion Canyon, Joshua’s people rejoiced. Joshua himself was grateful for it, of course. He praised the Lord, spoke the word of God aloud to himself, thanked Him for this, the most precious gift of life. 

Funny, he thought, that when he was a child how Ghouls had frightened him, but now, every day, he saw how similarly he looked to them. 

And he did see what he had become—every day. He stole into the depths of the cave and, in the flickering glow of an oil lantern, unspooled the bandages. His skin was eternally swollen, shiny, feverish to the touch. The burns hurt so badly, he could hardly stand it. 

Better to be clean than comfortable, he supposed. But how he longed to be comfortable again. 

It was when he watched the Dead Horses dance around in the rain that he wished he could, too. He wished to shed his wrappings, stand under the heavenly shower, and let it cleanse him. He wished for it to slough off the destroyed skin and reveal unblemished skin underneath. Yet another rebirth, but one that wasn’t intensely painful. 

Mostly, though, he felt that it was right, if only as a reminder of what he had been through. Caesar thought Joshua a failure. Covered him in pitch, lit him on fire, and threw him into the Grand Canyon. Not by his own hand, though; such a task was below him. His underlings—people that Joshua had grown to _almost_ trust—grabbed him from his bed that night. They tied his hands in front of him and forced him down on his knees. The pitch felt like Hell was swallowing him, inch by inch. It crawled down his body, under his clothes, taking its time along a journey that Joshua thought would never end. And then there was fire and falling, and he wondered how he had lived. 

It was as an exceedingly rare thunderstorm rolled into the canyon that Joshua had a downright stupid idea. But he wanted to stand under the rain once more, unhindered by bandages—and he wouldn’t let anything stop him. 

He waited until it was dark and most everyone had gone to bed. Then, he unwound, letting the bandages coil on the rocky floor. He stood at the mouth of the cave and looked out at the fat raindrops hitting the dust. 

_What am I doing? ___

__He didn’t know._ _

__He dropped into a crouch and inched a hand along the ground, stopping it just before it met the rain. He waited. For what, he wasn’t sure. Then, he reached out a hand, palm down. The few drops that landed on the back of his hand felt like red-hot pokers. He endured it for a few moments, and then he yanked his hand back, tamping down a curse._ _

__He straightened and retreated._ _

__Bad idea. It didn’t change anything. He wasn’t sure why he thought something might have been different._ _

__He sighed, tucking in a loose end of a bandage. He sat down on the edge of his cot and closed his eyes. Perhaps one day he would heal enough to be rained upon. Today was not that day. With the utmost care, he lay down his weary body to rest, his hand outstretched to touch the worn leather cover of the Bible._ _


End file.
